


Difference

by Anonymous



Category: Naruto
Genre: Ambiguous sexuality, Arranged Marriage, Character Study, Gen, Gossipy Ninjas, Inspired by Gaara Hiden, Post-Fourth Shinobi War, introspective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:29:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26802202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: A heavy pause hung over the room, as if it was holding its breath.Gaara’s mind honed in on the way the last word was pronounced before it clicked on what his council didn’t want to say outright.That they thought he had no preference for women.Or: Gaara had always been marked as different, jinchūriki or not.
Kudos: 11
Collections: Anonymous





	Difference

**Author's Note:**

> As per the tags, this is set post-Fourth Shinobi War but years before Boruto. I don't actually know the exact Naruto timeline, but this is when Temari and Shikamaru recently had Shikadai.
> 
> Here, Gaara has been Kazekage for several years, so he's about in his early-to-mid twenties. Too soon for marriage imo, but Rasa himself looked pretty young in all of Gaara's flashbacks, and I assume ninja marry early since their life expectancy isn't that long anyway.

Gaara, from the moment of his birth, had been marked with difference. Always meant to be separate, kept apart from the rest. He was meant to be isolated, to be seen as something _other_. 

Such was the curse of jinchūriki, after all. The power of human sacrifice. Sacrificed not only to the beasts but to the merciless gaze of his own village.

Even if--in a parallel world--he had been somehow incompatible with the ichibi and grown up as a regular shinobi, Gaara would have been set apart anyway, as a child of the Kazekage. Even now, after he has gained Suna’s trust and goodwill, he is apart from the rest. He is their Kazekage, Sunagakure’s leader and protector, not some average civilian. So, perhaps it was inevitable that Gaara stood out.

He just didn’t think that, at least in this respect, he would once again be marked _different._

Councilmember Fujio cleared his throat. “Lord Kazekage, as you may know,” here he hesitated before plowing forward. If there was one thing Gaara respected, it was that they had less patience for niceties. “You are reaching the age your father, the Yondaime Kazekage, married Karura. Suna has indeed flourished under your leadership for the past several years, and I believe it is time we look ahead.” 

He looked at Gaara directly in the eye. “It is time to start considering an heir, who would take up your role as Kazekage.” 

A sudden hush came over them, and Gaara’s pale green eyes panned across the room, curious despite himself. The council members exchanged looks and hurriedly looked away as they caught his gaze, weighed down by something Gaara couldn’t catch. After years of navigating the political battlefield, Gaara was quicker at picking up social subtleties, but this time he was left hanging. For a brief moment, he wished Kankuro was here and not lounging at home, post-mission. His brother had always been better at parsing out their meaning before laying it out flat in the room--to the benefit of all parties. 

In the meantime, however, Gaara of the Desert narrowed his eyes. “What are you proposing?” 

To his credit, Elder Fujio shifted only a little. “An arranged marriage, Lord Kazekage. We have several candidates in mind, ones who would not only provide a suitable heir but establish valuable ties for the village.” 

“While Temari-sama already has a child of her own, we cannot allow a Konoha-born nin to have sole claims to the role, as I’m sure you’re already aware.” Another elder piped up. 

“We’ve prepared several files of the potential candidates for you to peruse, and all of them have already been screened for genetic ailments, disreputable clan ties, and such. At least one of them should be to your liking.” Fujio paused. “Unless of course, they are not to your taste.” 

A heavy pause hung over the room, as if it was holding its breath. 

Gaara’s mind honed in on the way the last word was pronounced before it clicked on what his council didn’t want to say outright. 

That they thought he had no preference for women. 

If there was one thing Gaara disliked from his improved image, it was the rampant, incessant, undaunted _gossip_. There were many rumors surrounding the Godaime Kazekage, who was both infamous and popular in kind. This was one of them--in fact, it cropped up rather quickly after he started spurning confessions from his female admirers. That perhaps the Kazekage turned them down for another reason. That he wasn’t interested in the opposite sex _that_ way because his tastes ran in a different direction. And if these rumors intertwined with sightings of Gaara with Naruto or Shira or boisterous Rock Lee, well, at least those were kept to the furthest corners of the village where surely the Kazekage wouldn’t hear. 

Kankuro himself had turned down his fair share of women--as brother of the Kazekage and a strong shinobi in his own right, he was an attractive prospect. Up to now, he has steadfastly remained a bachelor like his brother--except the common sentiment for this was that he remained single purely out of respect for Gaara, for surely if Kankuro left with a wife then the Kazekage would be lonely--never mind that Kankuro never let anyone dictate his life’s direction except himself. 

For some reason, this rumor was attached specifically to Gaara’s character. Time and time again, Gaara wondered what it was about his person that attracted the idea like a magnet. What it was that Suna’s people thought they saw when they looked at him. He wondered if it was because of the way he dressed, in his penchant for tight collars and more form-fitting sleeves. Perhaps it was the way he held himself, or his hobbies, or a distinctive twist of the wrist. 

It scared him a bit, he hated to admit. He hated to think that others could look at him and see through his chest, could crack him open and recognise something that he himself didn’t know was displayed. He hated to think that there could be yet another reason he was different from everyone else. Vaguely, a petulant voice--that small part of him that came from perpetually sleepless nights and Kazekage paperwork--piped up that he was _tired_ of being different. 

All of these didn’t register on Gaara’s face, however. His eyelids barely flickered, and the young Kazekage merely leaned into his interlaced hands before humming his assent. “I see. I will look into it.” 

The meeting proceeded more quickly after that. 

**Author's Note:**

> so i feel like it's pretty stilted but tbh im just pretty sleep-deprived rn. and i'll just pat myself in the back for a first fic. This was born from my own experiences, actually. I live in an Asian country, so there's that context, but it's definitely not the same as Japan. I like that most gay fics kinda live in another dimension like lgtbq+ is okay everywhere and no one treats them differently. escapism is awesome that way. But I was also wondering if there'd be attention drawn to it in the ninja world like it does in my culture
> 
> Also, personally I like to hc Gaara as either aspec (ace/aro-spectrum) or gay. This fic doesn't confirm anything so I made sure to tag it as ambiguous. Also my hc for Kankuro as aspec is probably showing—but again, nothing confirmed so feel free to interpret it any way you want. As far as I know, Kankuro also doesn't have a spouse/partner in Boruto, so there's that


End file.
